Opportunity Zones: What’s Health Got To Do With Them?
by C.J. Eisenbarth Hager | Health Affairs
Fascinating discussion so far at the @EVPartnership Community Health Summit. C.J.Hager from @VitalystHealth shared surprising statistics about location & life expectancy. In 85201 (Downtown Mesa in an #OpportunityZone) has a life expectancy of 66 yrs. AZ average is 80! pic.twitter.com/PIDasI5zx9
— Pinal Partnership (@PinalPartnrship) April 3, 2019
Opportunity Zones, established by Congress in 2017 as an innovative approach to spur long-term, private-sector investments in low-income urban and rural communities, have been getting a lot of attention lately. Designed to benefit economically distressed communities, as designated by states and territories and certified by the US Department of the Treasury, Opportunity Zones offer preferential tax treatment to certain types of investment.
This might look like a strange topic for a health foundation to focus on, but we at Vitalyst Health Foundation have been active in this space for the past sixteen months in Arizona. Why? Social determinants of health, equity, and community voice are important to our foundation.
Improvements to many social determinants of health can be—and frequently are—financed through traditional means. Budget-appropriate family housing, high-quality childcare facilities, and retailers that sell healthy food are all great examples of determinants of health that can be financed through traditional mechanisms, like loans.
